Mike Wood
London
Current Fav's - Cornish Pasties, Battersea Power Station, The Good Mixer.
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Articles by Mike Wood
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Skip to content × Pro Members Get Full Access! Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success. Advanced networking features Market and Deal Finder tools Property analysis calculators ANNUAL Save 16% $32.50 /mo $390 billed annualy MONTHLY $39 /mo billed monthly 7 day free trial.
NEW for 10/17: On Trump’s toll, shutdown, rally
· NEW RETIREE: K9 Oli, a seven-year-old Belgian Malinois, has officially retired from service with Gwinnett Police. Oli joined the department in February 2020 and answered nearly 400 calls, supporting Gwinnett and surrounding areas. Throughout his career, Oli assisted with 41 patrol apprehensions, 45 narcotics cases and 155 evidence recoveries. He also participated in 1,436 training sessions, completing more than 1,500 hours of training.
1425 Oxford Ln, Boynton Beach, FL 33426, US
Operating Expenses Recurring costs required to maintain and manage a rental property, including property taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs, utilities (if paid by the owner), property management fees, and other day-to-day expenses. Calculation: Insurance + Property Taxes + Property Management + Repairs & Maintenance + Capital Expenditures + HOA Fees
Need help with countertops
Hello fellow Clevelanders! Do you know of a good place where I can buy granite or quartz slab that I can get cut and installed by my own people? I would love to find a store that sells either smaller pieces or leftover pieces or tops that other people ended up not wanting/using. This is for a house that will be my personal residence for a few years and then become a rental. I want something nicer than laminate but not super high-end. Thanks for any recommendations or ideas!
FOCUS: Creeping nationalization by the Trump Administration?
By Mike Wood PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. | The first Trump Administration, which governed from January 2017 to January 2021, placed a strong emphasis on revitalizing American businesses. Through a combination of policy changes, tax reforms, and deregulation initiatives, the administration sought to foster economic growth, boost domestic manufacturing, and encourage job creation within the United States. The second Trump Administration continues those initiatives and has added even more.
NEW for 8/26: On nationalism, TVs, candy, ALL CAPS
THE TWO GRAND MARSHALS of the 2025 Duluth Fall Festival will be sisters Kathryn Parsons Willis and Ann Parsons Odum, both of whom are native to Duluth, where they still reside. Both have been active in all the previous festivals, making them natural for this role. The festival is September 27-28. This recent photograph was taken at a Fall Festival sponsor event at one of the Festival sponsors, Dreamland Barbecue. TODAY’S FOCUS: Creeping nationalization by the Trump Administration?
NEW for 5/27: On narcissism, negotiations and financial matters
· OPENING OF A GWINNETT-BASED OFFICE for Georgia Tech’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) took place last week. Strategically located within the Gwinnett Chamber building and adjacent to Partnership Gwinnett’s offices, the new space enhances local access to GaMEP’s extensive services for manufacturers and supply chain companies across the region.
Latest funding news
Posted by Mike WoodPosted on Friday, 05-02-2025 11:26 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Hi everyone,
Here's the funding news that came across the wire this week. Interesting how there are more TA tools and investment coming to manufacturing!
Enjoy,
Mike
Lumber raises $15.5M to bring AI to the jobsite
Lumber founders Construction may be old-school, but workforce management doesn’t have to be.
FOCUS: With no mandate, Trump oversteps his boundary
By Mike Wood PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. | Does Donald Trump have a mandate from voters? Yes, he won the electoral votes last November to become president. Yes, he won the popular vote, too, but only with a plurality. He did not get over 50 percent of the popular vote. Therefore, such a win is not a mandate for him. However, Republicans also won control of both the House and Senate.
2024 ACU British Upright Grasstrack Championship - Get your entries in!
Now Reading 2024 ACU British Upright Grasstrack Championship – Get your entries in! Entry forms and regulations are now available for the 2024 ACU British Upright Grasstrack Championship and supporting classes, which will take place on September 8th at Gawswoth, near Macclesfield in Cheshire. The Closing Date has been extended to Wednesday, August 28th, 2024. Late entries will be accepted in the hope of catching a few more Riders for the day.
The real ‘good and bad’ in this country
The recent passage to have historical monuments placed at the locations involved in the horrible torture and death of 14-year-old Emmett Till shows just how polarized politics have now become. Although I fully believe and endorse the remembrance of what happened to Till, I stand confused on the decision.
The Very Fine Comic Book Podcast: #5
Justin & Mike travel to Mega-City One and attempt to survive THE APOCALYPSE WAR -- one of the most legendary Judge Dredd stories of all time by John Wagner, Alan Grant, and Carlos Ezquerra!
Trends and Predictions
The biotech industry in Europe is rapidly growing, with new startups emerging and established companies expanding their operations. This growth is driving demand for top talent in the biotech sector. Talent acquisition managers are facing new challenges in finding and retaining skilled employees, and the future of biotech talent acquisition in Europe is evolving to meet these demands.
The Very Fine Comic Book Podcast: #1
In this first episode, Justin and Mike take a look at legendary artist Steve Ditko through the lens of his seminal work on Amazing Fantasy 15 and Amazing Spider-Man 1-9.
Fellow patriots, it's time to dump Trump
I'm stunned that so many Americans still think of Donald Trump as anything but the treasonous person that the Jan. 6 investigation clearly demonstrates, and that so many GOP candidates proudly associate themselves with the man behind the insurrection. I don't care whether he's prosecuted (as deserved), but I would beg fellow patriots to denounce him and to recognize how dangerous his influence was and would continue to be. Letters to the editor are encouraged.
AMTA welcomes new 5G mmWave testing standards to support public trust and confidence
The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has thrown its weight behind the publication of two new international standards for 5G electric and magnetic fields (EMF).
Our Issues: An introduction
Things have changed since March 2020. The emotions we all have felt; the stress and weight of COVID-19 on all in the rental business were unprecedented. For most of us in this industry, it was impossible to pivot. We must look forward with optimism and positivity. It was precisely optimism and positivity that saved me and my mental health. Allow me to explain and introduce myself. On March 13, 2020, I called an Ottawa city councillor and asked him if the city was planning on shutting down.
What Will 2022 Bring to Healthcare Facilities?
The COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare facilities to adapt quickly to new technologies. Over the past year, planning, design, and construction teams have seen innovative solutions come to market daily. Having a great deal more to evaluate and assess, teams have found that roughly one in 10 new offerings is useful, and maybe one in another 10 is cost- and outcome-effective. It has been a challenge to sort through this volume of pandemic-driven innovations.
Expats contributing to property boom, says industry body
Expats are fuelling Australia’s property boom, according to industry body Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA). It is thought that over 400,000 Aussie expats have come back since the pandemic began in early 2020, bringing with them cash that was earned elsewhere in the world. PIPA Chairman Peter Koulizos told Australian Broker about the so-called ‘expat factor’.
The secrets of being a successful broker, according to experts
Mentoring is one of the best ways to get ahead in the broking industry, and one could not have asked for a more experienced panel than that which sat down at the Four Seasons in Sydney for “The secrets to being a successful commercial broker”, an event hosted by Semper Capital.
SMEs are being left behind by Big Four banks, says report
Small businesses are being left behind by the Big Four, according to a report released by fintech Judo Bank. Their 2021 SME Banking Insights Report laid bare the problems that many SMEs have in reaching their banking partners, with just 15% of respondents saying that they had a “high quality” interaction with their bank and 19% saying that they had had zero contact at all.
Regional Australia's property boom is here to stay, says expert
Regional Australia’ property boom is set to continue – but local authorities need to act to preserve the character of country towns, according to one of the nation’s premier urban planners. Mike Day, a partner at award-winning urban planning and design practice Hatch RobertsDay, has charted the growth of regional Australia’s property market and the ongoing ‘tree changer’ movement that has seen over 60,000 Australians relocate from the capital cities into country areas.
5 things you need to know about Australia’s property boom
Australia’s property boom is breaking records across almost every category: since the start of 2021, there has been unprecedented growth in home loans, property prices and house auctions. While it is clearly a great time to be working in Australia’s property sector, it should come with the obvious caveat that every boom has a bust, and it is yet to be seen whether this is a sustainable rise or an artificial bubble that will inevitably burst.
'Rentvesting' rates rise as Sydney property prices force buyers elsewhere
Potential homeowners are eschewing Sydney’s high property prices and investing their money elsewhere in Australia, according to a leading Sydney buying agent. The trend of “rentvesting” – where customers choose to continue renting the property in which they live but buy a property elsewhere as an investment – has been on the rise as Sydney property prices continue to spiral and vacancy rates keep prices steady in the rental market.
Hobart is the most profitable city in Australia to buy real estate
Hobart was the most profitable place in Australia to buy real estate in Q4 2020, according to CoreLogic, with 97.2% of homes fetching a profit. The Tasmanian capital lead the nation in CoreLogic’s Pain and Gain report, with a number that exceeded the national average for capital city real estate markets by almost 10%. “Hobart has seen remarkably strong capital growth for a sustained period of time.
Senate shelves Responsible Lending Obligation Bill until May
The controversial Senate reforms that could have seen Australia’s responsible lending laws overhauled has been postponed until the next round of sittings in May. It ends a week of debate on Australia’s banking culture that has polarised politicians and opened a deep divide between banks and consumer groups. The reforms could fundamentally change how Responsible Lending Obligations work in Australia, with the post-Global Financial Crisis emphasis on lenders to vet borrowers reversed.
Ombudsman backs RBA on small businesses
Bruce Billson, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, has thrown his weight behind Reserve Bank of Australia Assistant Governor Chris Kane’s call to treat small businesses separately from consumers when accessing finance. “There are so many different finance options for small business nowadays,” Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says.
Brisbane breaks record for low vacancy rates, while Melbourne rate doubles in a year
Vacancy rates in Brisbane have broken a decade long record, according to SQM Research. The news comes as vacancy rates in Melbourne and Sydney trend in the opposite direction, with the Victorian capital in particular showing twice as many vacant rental properties as last year. Brisbane finds itself with just 1.5% of properties on the rental market unoccupied, marking a significant supply problem for that market.
Phil Waugh appointed Executive, Broker Distribution at NAB
Former Australia and NSW Waratahs rugby union international Phil Waugh has been appointed as the new Executive, Broker Distribution at NAB. Waugh has switched from Westpac, where he had previously been Head of Private Wealth North, In that role, he had led a team of more than 200 employees and headed up the business divison’s response to the pandemic.
Resimac slashes rates for self-employed Australians
Resimac is to slash interest rates for self-employed borrowers to offer them help through the COVID-19 crisis. The non-bank is following the trend set by the Big Four banks in cutting interest rates, with new rates dipping under 3% for certain conditions. Those on their Prime Alt Doc owner-occupied principal and interest home loans can now access a rate of 2.99% regardless of their loan-to-value ratios, nearly a full percentage point lower than the previous rate of 3.87%.
Senate bill on Responsible Lending due for vote this week
The Australian Senate will this week debate some of the most significant reforms to the rules that govern lending in Australia, after the Senate Economics Legislation Committee recommended changes to the National Consumer Credit Protection (NCCP) Act.
Developers preparing for home buying frenzy
Home sales are expected to spike in the next two weeks as first home buyers seek to get their purchases over the line before the HomeBuilder scheme ends. This comes at a time when Sydney property prices have finally cracked their peak levels from 2017 and in which house prices, home loans and clearance rates at auction have all registered new records in terms of month-to-month growth.
MFAA Opportunities for Women report shows shift in male attitudes
Male brokers are becoming ever more aware of gender imbalances in the mortgage broking industry, according to the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia’s (MFAA) third annual International Women’s Day report. According to the 2021 edition of the Opportunities for Women report, the number of male brokers who were unaware of the gender gap in the industry fell from 72% to 50% across the last three years.
Sharp drop in affordability in regional Australia
Regional areas of Australia have become far less affordable, according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA). Their study for the final quarter of 2020 showed movement away from the cities during the COVID-19 pandemic, allied with a lack of inward foreign migration and a general rise in house prices had made life in the country more expensive.
Housing market boom is now present across Australia
Australia’s housing market boom is now spread across the whole country, according property intelligence firm Archistar. The record start to 2021 has seen sky high growth across house prices, home loans and at auctions, with acceleration spurred on by a combination of low interest rates, the post-pandemic rebound and growing consumer confidence.
How the broking industry can help women, with Melissa Christy
Melissa Christy can boast one of the most interesting career trajectories in Australian broking. She’s done the Big Four, she’s done working abroad and she’s done the rounds of mid-size banks, before catching the fintech bug and finding her place at neobank 86 400, where she is now Lending Product Lead.
Investors riding property wave into 2021, says ABS
Investors are set to ride the ongoing property boom, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The ABS Lending Indicators displayed that, in January, there was a 9.4% rise in loan commitments made by investors. That number was part of a wider trend that has seen commitments rise by 22.4% over the course of the year.
Gen Z still aim to own homes, says survey
Gen Z still largely aspire to own their own homes despite on the ongoing pressures of the pandemic, according to a new survey. Bankwest asked more than 1600 Gen Zers, about their thoughts on the Australian Dream of owning a property, with 71% saying that it was still something that interested them.
Home Auctions latest sector to report record growth
Home auctions have become the latest part of the housing sector to report record growth this week, as the house price surge shows no sign of abating. The national median price of houses sold at auction in the last month has gone up by 5.0% on the same period in 2020. All areas saw some growth, but it was particularly profound in Brisbane, which had a 13.0% spike, and Sydney, which experienced a rise of nearly 10%.
Industry body celebrates record share for mortgage brokers
The Mortgage Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) has recorded their highest ever December market share for mortgage brokers. According to data collected by research group comparator on behalf of the MFAA, 59.4% of all residential home loans made in Australia in December 2020 were made by mortgage brokers, representing a 4.1% growth on the same period in 2019 and just 0.7% shy of the all time one-month market share, set in September 2019.
New home building loans grow again, say HIA
New dwelling construction loans surpassed records in early 2021, according to an economist at the Housing Industry Association. There was an influx of new construction loans that saw December levels peak as consumers looked to their contracts sorted before the HomeBuilder grant deadline passed at the end of the year. Over the whole quarter through to January 2021, lending increased by 45.8% on the previous quarter and saw them rise to as much as twice the levels that they were at the end of 2019.
Home lending breaks records in January but RBA rate remains frozen
Home loans have continued to reach record highs, with ABS Lending Indicators marking an eighth consecutive month of growth. Total value rose by 10.5% in January and now stands close to $30m, over 40% up on the same time last year. It marked the single biggest month-to-month growth since September 2016 and a 20% growth on January 2020. First home buyers accounted for almost a third of all commitments and were up over $3bn in total value on the same time last year.
RBA frozen for fourth month in succession
The Reserve Bank of Australia has continued the trend of record low interest rates by announcing that the cash rate will be held at 0.1%. March 2021 is the fourth month in a row where the price has been held, despite some speculation that it might be raised in the wake of record increases in property prices and home loans. “Lending rates for most borrowers are at record lows and housing prices across Australia have increased recently,” read the statement released this afternoon.
Aussies are bullish about house prices after COVID
A survey released by ME Bank has revealed that Australians feel significantly more optimistic about their financial outlook going into 2021, despite the pressures of the COIVD-19 pandemic. ME’s Household Financial Comfort Report showed that half of owner occupiers thought that the price of their homes would go up in the next year, twice the number who felt that in June 2020.
Most parents underestimate price of kids, says CUA
Seventy-five percent of Aussie parents say that having children is more expensive than they thought it would be, according to a new survey carried out by the Credit Union Association (CUA). CUA now estimates the cost of a child to be as high as $8,000 just for the first year of their life. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said that they had no idea what the cost of raising children would be, with a further third revealing that while they had made a guess at pricing, it had been exceeded.
Alexa Can’t Understand Irish People: It's (Sort Of) Official.
More Mike Wood Published 2:25 AM, Tuesday February 09 2021 GMT If you've spent plenty of time shouting aimlessly at your Alexa, well, you're not alone. It turns out that it's not you, it's them. According to comparison website USwitch, AI home devices like Alexa have a really, really hard time with anyone who has a regional accent. And for Irish people, in particular, the struggle is real.
Industry Voices-Why should healthcare embrace modular construction?
Now that we can look at 2020 through a rearview mirror, healthcare facility managers are gearing up to plan and execute their construction projects in 2021. Since many of these projects were initially canceled or delayed indefinitely due to COVID-19, 2021 will certainly see an influx of projects with shortened timelines in order to get back on schedule. To successfully achieve this, a modern construction approach is necessary.
Joe Biden Has Officially Been Confirmed As The Next President Of The United States
After a marathon session of the US Congress, interrupted by an invasion by supporters of Donald Trump, President-elect Joe Biden has been officially confirmed as the next President of the United States.
Telstra's 5G stress test - a busy apartment, 58 devices and the all important 5G EME test for safety. » EFTM
There’s still a few things the mobile networks need to get straight about 5G – despite their best efforts, there’s still a bunch of clowns who think 5G is dangerous, and there’s the skeptics who worry it won’t cope under load. Telstra put that to the test recently in a Gold Coast Apartment.
Letter to the Editor: Trump's legacy opportunity
Letter to the Editor: Trump's legacy opportunity President Donald Trump has another opportunity to improve his legacy with a single act: gracefully concede and cooperate in the traditional transfer of the presidency. Letters to the editor are encouraged. Send letters to tulsaworld.com/opinion/submitletter. Featured video: * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
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